HACCP is a food safety system that helps to mitigate, reduce the risk level of the food safety hazards to the consumer. This blog answers some of the most commonly asked HACCP certification questions. If you have any other questions about this important process, please feel free to contact us at info@sfpmfoodconsulting.com.
What is HACCP?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product
The basic idea behind HACCP is to take a step back and look at your entire production process, from growing the crops to processing the foods into final products. You identify any areas where risks might be associated with handling or preparing food and then make sure those risks are minimized as much as possible.
How to get HACCP certification?
You must first apply to a qualified certification body to get HACCP certification. Then, you will undergo a comprehensive review process as part of HACCP certification. These include interviews with key personnel and an inspection of the facility. If everything looks good and passes the audit, then you will be awarded a HACCP certificate.
If you want to obtain food safety certifications such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) or Food Safety Management System (FSMS), please scroll down for more information on how we can help!
What Paperwork Do You Need for Your HACCP Certification?
There are many supporting documents that you need to pass your HACCP certification. These include
- HACCP plan
- Food regulatory requirements such as US FSMA Preventive Control Plan or the Canadian SFCR Preventive Control Plan
- Food Safety Procedures such as Employee Hygiene, Pest Control, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures etc
- Record to support your PCP plans including hazard risk analysis and justification, monitoring procedures, verification procedures, corrective action procedures etc.
- Records to support the implementation of your food safety procedures
- Training record
- Management Meeting records
- and many more
How Long Does it Take to Get HACCP Certified?
For food businesses serious about going into retail and expanding, it is essential to undergo HACCP certification.
We estimated that acquiring HACCP Certification can take at least four months, though many prospective businesses find it takes significantly longer. The process varies depending on the facility.
Here is the HACCP certification timeline when you work with us:
The first month typically entails constructing the program, followed by three months for gathering records and securing an auditor.
Kindly note that you will need three months of records for HACCP certification unless the certification body exempts this requirement.
This means that you should begin planning for HACCP certification well in advance. We provide reasonably quick procedures and plan customization HACCP plan and procedures services. If you require a HACCP plan, we typically can customize them within 1-2 weeks, depending on our workload.
Most of our clients ask what the safe timeline to book a HACCP audit is or if we can get an HACCP audit done faster? We recommend speaking to our food safety management experts to have a FREE food safety audit blueprint you can follow when starting your HACCP certification. Book a HACCP Certification BluePrint Development call with us
What are the Difference SFPM Make When It Comes to Guiding Our Client Toward HACCP Certification?
We specialize in working with small businesses to get their first food safety audit and coaching our clients to run their food safety programs.
Here are some common challenges that we heard our small business owners and operators have when they worked with another consultant in the past
- I was given a binder with a stack of procedures and forms. Then, I was left to figure out how to run the procedures. I know how to read, but to use them, I am lost.
- It takes 2-3 months to build my program, and I haven’t heard from the consultant.
These two situations will not be the case working with SFPM Consulting.
We know how important it is to get you into the retail business while it is “Hot in the mind of your buyer”. Thus, our goal is to meet your timeline as expected.
Our assistance is not limited to
- Building food safety plans, procedures and documents
- Food Safety Implementation
- Food Safety Training
- Audit Preparation and Support
We are not about being with you every year. Let us explain our goal is to ensure that you have enough support to run your own program. This helps you maintain a better food safety program, build a food safety culture and save money in the long run.
What should I ask my food safety consultant when hiring a HACCP consultant?
Many people ask how do you know if my consultant is whom I want to work with. We only work with clients that choose to work with us, especially in a more involved food safety management project.
We deliver quality food safety management procedures and forms that fit your food business operations. We care about how it applies to you.
We don’t deliver stacks of papers unless you instruct us to. Paper stacks are not going to help anyone when it comes to setting your first audit. We guide our clients to run the program one by one so it is not overwhelming.
The question is, do you want paper stacks or guided implementation?
Through the years of working in the industry and building our consultancy, we have created project management for HACCP certification, which helps many of our clients pass their audit in the first run. In fact, many of the first-timers passed their audit with an average score of 95%.
Our implementation package includes complimentary training that helps you implement a better HACCP program. Hear from our training participants how our training helps them understand food safety.
Who Do We Not Cater to?
We work with specific client niches. Despite the effort, we can’t cater to clients who
- Is not respectful of our consultant’s time. eg. expect us to be available during the weekend without a prior request or keep calling without urgent issues.
- Note that with a prior request, we could be working flexible work hours and are willing to work with our clients to get things done. In addition, any urgent calls, such as recalls, will be dealt with immediately.
- Expect last minutes requests to be completed within a specific timeline without asking us
- Is not willing to implement food safety procedures
- is not willing to invest in building a food safety culture
- expecting us to be there all the time for regular record keeping
Project Timeline
We respect every client and want to be able to deliver our promises. We always provide an estimated timeline when we start a project. Keeping our promises to all clients, our monthly support clients receive priority support regarding the timeline for smaller requests. When it comes to product recall, you get the top priority support.
Food safety certification can be stressful but you do not have to face them alone. Are we the right fit to work together? Book a quick call to build your Food Safety Blueprint that you can use even if you decide we are not the right fit. We like to work with the right clients so you get your HACCP certification and grow your business.